2002 cl55 buyers advise

[Petrol Pete]

the car is in brighton, may pop over easter to check it, again as it so far i requested a vid and seems ok.

A seaside car !..this get's better at every post

 

[dancki]

A seaside car !..this get's better at every post

probably been there for short span of its life, i suspect 5+ owners, that could be anywhere. But i get what you saying, i will check the rust. Had mondeo from seaside and had more rust than my uncles tractor on the farm.

BTW, i have noticed some negativity in this post (apart from couple comments) i thought this is a place to exchange knowledge etc.

Even when i was buying cls 2 years ago i had so many bad comments, the car turned out to be motorway monster (obviously had some small issues but at this age any car will have it)

I like the body of cl and want to get one, so please either post valuable info or not post at all.

 

[Alex]

I think you should buy it. 215 CL is a great car and it’s a buyer’s market right now. Go aggressive, the owner will likely cave in as he’ll lose more if he keeps it.

 

[zipdip]

Well what you are hearing from posters dancki is their knowledge of these motors going back some years,they would all like you to buy a good car,but it is not negative to point out a 18 year old car is always a big risk especially a cl55,of all the comments Black c55 is the most telling he is a expert and runs a great mercedes indy garage,you have also heard from people who have changed the bushes at the rear and have been told straight you need special tools,and if you put it into a garage it will cost you big,the way I look at these cars is there is no point bottom feeding,if you want one then you have to look for a pristine example and then still have it gone over by a expert,but as always it is up to you.

 

[C43AMG]

As above.

I owned a 55 for six years which Olly ( Black55 ) looked after for me, he is the W215 expert, so please take note.

As far as rust is concerned, look at the B Pillar where it meets the wing ( Roof Aluminium - Wing Steel ) + Corner of Sunroof. God luck with your search.

In my opinion the CL W215 Coupe is the best Mercedes ever made, stunning

 

[alabbasi]

I know everybody here would suggest using mb star for check but do u reckon using delphi for scan could highlight any potential issues?

I've never used a delphi so I don't know. I have used an Autel and it's been able to access just about every system on my my 10 or so MB's with OBD2 or 38 pin connectors.

 

[m2287]

If you are able to work on it yourself then you can rebuild the valve blocks for under £30 and the tandem pump itself for under £50.

Front struts can be a mission to replace because of the allen pin in the bottom arm. Rear struts are an hour each to replace maximum.

These cars are hard on the suspension components, I am pretty sure the noise in the video is one of the rear bushes (mine ate rear camber arm bushes but it was lowered!) these are not expensive to replace at all.

No ABC warnings on the dash is a good sign - just make sure it doesn’t sag overnight (easier said than done), even if it does then as I said, the valve blocks are easy and cheap to rebuild.

 

[E55BOF]

Unless they've been done since new, expect to spend £500 on having the engine mountings replaced straight away; they will be shot.

 

[clk320x]

Unless they've been done since new, expect to spend £500 on having the engine mountings replaced straight away; they will be shot.

The mounts are about £100.... who’s charging you £400 labour?

 

[E55BOF]

Terry Gates. He only uses genuine MB parts - £200. The exhaust has to be dropped to change the engine mountings on the W211 E55K and E500, and I'm assuming the CL will be the same.

 

[alabbasi]

I've done engine mounts on 2 W210 E55 using Lemforder parts. Parts are about $140 for a pair and labor is no more than 2 hours on a lift. The first set was when i first bought my 2002 in 2012 and they have been fine since.

 

[m2287]

Terry Gates. He only uses genuine MB parts - £200. The exhaust has to be dropped to change the engine mountings on the W211 E55K and E500, and I'm assuming the CL will be the same.

I’m 99% sure I didn’t have to drop my exhaust to do mine, there is significantly more space in the CL bay than the E though.

 

[E55BOF]

Might be all right, then, without dropping the exhaust.

 

[dancki]

If you are able to work on it yourself then you can rebuild the valve blocks for under £30 and the tandem pump itself for under £50.

Front struts can be a mission to replace because of the allen pin in the bottom arm. Rear struts are an hour each to replace maximum.

These cars are hard on the suspension components, I am pretty sure the noise in the video is one of the rear bushes (mine ate rear camber arm bushes but it was lowered!) these are not expensive to replace at all.

No ABC warnings on the dash is a good sign - just make sure it doesn’t sag overnight (easier said than done), even if it does then as I said, the valve blocks are easy and cheap to rebuild.

Thanks for advise. I am picking up mb star this week so will scan it thru. fingers crossed

 

[m2287]

Thanks for advise. I am picking up mb star this week so will scan it thru. fingers crossed

If you are resourceful you won’t pay anywhere near some of the quotes you see thrown about.